Southampton Blotter: Three men arrested in Riverside drug raid

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s East End Drug Task Force arrested three men during an early-morning raid in Riverside Friday, Southampton Town Police said.

Task force officers and Southampton Town Police’s Emergency Services Unit raided the Lake Avenue home and made the arrests at about 6 a.m., according to police. The raid came as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.

Jose Maysonet, 46, Clifton Walker, 29, and Henry Mills, 55, all of Lake Avenue in Riverside were all charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia, police said.

Up until last year, Southampton Town Police did not participate in the East End Drug Task Force, which uses officers from various East End departments to investigate drugs throughout the five East End towns. Southampton Town, under previous Chief James Overton, instead had its own Street Crime Unit that investigated drugs. The Street Crime Unit was disbanded shortly after new chief, Bill Wilson, took over late last July.

• A Riverside man was found to be carrying drugs during a probation check, police said. Bert Roner, 34, of North Woods Road in Riverside in MacLeod’s Mobile Home Park was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police had responded to the park to assist the Suffolk County Probation Department, which was checking on Mr. Roner due to a violation of probation, according to police, who said he was found in possession of multiple narcotics.

• Juan Espana, 26, of Hamilton Avenue in Westhampton was charged with false personation, unlicensed operation and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation Sunday afternoon on Flanders Road and Longneck Boulevard. Mr. Espana was in a car accident and was driving without a license, because his license had been revoked on a DWI charge from Feb. 25, 2009, according to police. No information on the accident was available.

• Edward Persico, 33, of Wading River-Manor Road in Manorville was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana shortly before midnight on Feb. 22 on Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton, police said. He was pulled over for an equipment violation and an officer spotted the marijuana in the center console of the car, according to police. This is Mr. Persico’s second marijuana possession arrest in 2012, according to police records.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.